Preview: Minnesota vs. Illinois

Over the last few weeks the Minnesota Gopher basketball team has not made things easy for itself. From poor field shooting to game-costing free throw misses to a lack of energy. Now in an attempt to earn its first Big Ten win, the schedule makers take their turn in putting up obstacles. The first is a “œfun” road trip to Champaign, Illinois ““ a location the Gophers have not won at since 1978 (not counting vacated games). And to top it off, this Illini team is ranked #8/7 in the nation.

If the Gophers hope to have a chance against Illinois, they will have to discover their offensive game against the Big Ten’s leader in team defense as the Illini only allow 56.5 ppg and feature the conference’s highest scoring margin (15.2 ppg).

The Gophers continue to struggle to find an identity. Vincent Grier has scored an amazingly low 11 points over the last 75 game minutes, and the team suffered a disappointing 71-55 loss at home versus Michigan on Saturday night. But if the Gophers are to pull the major upset, here are the keys to the game:

1. Hit a shot ““ any shot. The Gophers have really struggled from the field as of late. Minnesota is 10th in the Big Ten in both field goal and free throw percentage. For the Gophers to have a shot against Illinois, Minnesota must shoot at least 65% from the field for the game.

2. Hit 12 three-pointers. The number is arbitrary, but as the league’s 9th best team in three-point percentage, I figure if they accomplish key #1 (shoot 65% from the field) then key #2 will come hand in hand. Six three-pointers a half outta energize the team.

3. Shock the world. Ok, maybe not the world per se, but the college basketball world for sure. North Dakota State did just that in beating the Badgers this past weekend, and it will take that sort of “œus against the world” mentality for the Gophers to get their first conference win at Illinois. To get through this rut, the team and coaches have to stick together. Sometimes being on the road when everyone else thinks you’re down is just the trick. The team needs senior leadership and sophomore exuberance to pull off the massive upset.

Now, just because I have “œkeys to the game” written down for a Gopher win doesn’t mean that I think it will happen. I obviously hope it does, but we’ve struggled to win at Illinois for many years and this matchup appears as lopsided as we’ve seen in recent years.

My prediction: Illinois 88 Minnesota 64

I would love to be wrong.